Insulated rail-joint.



No. 875,204. PATENTED DEC. 31, 1907. A. MORRISON.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT. v

INVENTOR hw 'ZWR,

' to receive the rail joint bolts.

when snares rarnNr crisis-n ANDREW MORRISON, or rirrssnne, PENNSYLVANIA.

INSiULATED RAIL-J DIN '1 Specmcationof Letters Patent. 7

\ Application filed April 11. 1907. Serial No. $67,684:. 3

Eatented m. 31, 1907.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW MORRISON,

of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsyland 3 are similar viewsshowing modificaused.

' Heretoforeit has been customary to use a contlnuous piece or sheet of insulating inaterial between each splice bar and ,the rails,

this sheet having holes punched therethrough That portion of the insulating piece or sheet between the head and base flanges is practically useless the base of the rail, and the other piece fit-' the under side of the head of the rail.

where, as is commonly the case, the splice lgar bears upon the rail only at its head and ase. I

"In accordance with myinvention, I divide the insulation at each side of the joint into two separate pieces, one iece fitting between the base portion of tl ie splice bar and ting between the head of the splice bar and In this manner, I'not only effect a very considerable saving in expensive material, but

- I avoid the necessity for punching holes in the insulating material. I also avoid the necessity for changing the shape of the in sulating piece for each change in the spacing of the bolts, and thus enable standard shapes to be used;

Heretofore the material which has been commonly used for this insulation is made from compressed and chemically treated cotton fiber. This material has proved un satisfactory and unserviceable in use, owing toits capacity for rapidly absorbing moisture and the fact that it'cornpresses under a great load even when dry. The exposed edges of the fiber insulation rapidly convey moisture by capillary action into its body portion, which not only deteriorates the material. but destroys, by its'presence, the perfect insulation which is required.

A further object of my invention is to provide insulating material which is impervious to moisture and has great resistance to compression under load; also to rovide a material which can be used in great y thinner form than is possible with the fiber insulations above referred to. This is a feature of great practical importance, because of the fact that the use of'insulating material in a rail joint reduces the vertical or girder thickness of the splice bars to the extent of its combined thicknesses, wherefit is interpos'edbetween the splice bar and the head and base flanges of the rail. Where it is used in-the form of a sleeve or bushing around the joint bolts, it is desirable to have it as thin as possible, owing to the fact that the holes for the bolts have to be drilled or punched of larger diameter to receive it, thereby reducing the-area of bearing surface around the holes to an extent which prevents a proper bearing for the fiber washers between the nuts and the splice bars.

Referring to the accompanymg drawings,

the numeral 2 designates the usual T-rail,

and 3 the splice or angle bars having head ortions 4 which bear against the under s de of the head of the rail, and the inclined base ortions 5 which bear against the upper suraces of the base flanges of the rail.

6 designates the joint bolts, and 7 the nuts therefor.

8 designates the insulating) material which is interposed'between the earing surfaces of the splice bars and the rails. As before described, I employ se 'arate pieces of this material at the head an base. These pieces, which may be pressed or molded into form, are secured in place by having their inner edgeportions 9 preferably bentaroundthe adjacent angles of the splice bars or rails, while their outer edges 10 are preferably bent around the base of the rail and over the outer angle at the head of the splice bars respectively, or they-may be cemented to the splice bars or rails. They may be prevented from endwise movement by bending their ends against the ends of the splice bar, as iridicatedat 11.

As shown in Fig. 2, the insulating piece 8 at the underside of the head is preferably thicker than the. piece 8 at the base, owing to the greater pounding and wear to which it is subject in proportion to the areainvolved.

12 designates the insulating sleeves or bushings which are placed around the bolts f used in very thin sheets.

ioI

rial of this th from the separation or insulation at each standard shapes of insulation in joints of 6, and 13 designates the washers of similar,

'tion of mica may be used of a thickness of the washers 13,

webs of the rails.

vtages heretofore enumerated areobtained.

insulating. material interposed between the ,b,earing. surfaces of thebar and-rails, the intsu latingf material at the heads andbases of the rails being in. separate and inde endent pieces, and the inner edge portions of the insulating material bein bent to engage the For this. purpose inner portions of the sp ice bar; substantially I prefer to employ mica, .or micanite" which as described. 1-. latter is built up of sheets or plates of mica. 22. ,In an insulated rail joint, a splice bar may, however, use a material composed having a rail bearingatboth head and base, of asbestos and vax'ous compounds. I preinsulating material-interposed between the fer mica, owing to its durability, its resistbearing .surfac'es'of the bar and rails, the inance to compression, and its water-proof character. I have ascertained that insulamaterial, which are interposed between the nuts 7 and the outer faces of the s lice barsg As above stated, I provide insulating ma-; terial of a character whichis practically impervious 'to moisture, and which may be the rails being in separate and inde endent pieces, those portions between hea of rail about 3- 2 of an inch as compared with the and top of bars being thicker than the porthickness of t of an inch in the fibrous material heretofore employed. The use of mateinness increases to this extent the vertical or girder de th of the splice bars, and also corresponding y reduces the diameter of the bolt openings, thus giving a greater bearing around the openings for which are thus prevented. fromrutting out as quickly as has heretofore "been the case. It further ermits oi'a great reduction of the opening etween the rail ends by using an end post of greatly reduced thickness.

. In the modification shown in Fi 3, the construction is the same as that siown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the sleeves or bushings l2 and the washers-l3 are omitted, and sleeves 14. are placed around the bolts, 6 Where the latter pass through the This sleeve is preferably de of such length that it will be pre: vented by the splice bars from working endwise-out of position, or it may be held by- -end flanges therein. j v

The advantages of my invention result and theinner edge portions of the insulating material being bent to engage the inner I tions of the splice bar; substantially as described.

having a rail bearingat both head andbase, and insulating material interposed between the bearing surfaces of the bar and rails, the

the rails ,"substantially as described.

5. In a rail joint, a splice bar having a bearing at its upper edge underneath the head of therail, and havin v lating material interpose between these bearing surfaces-said material being of uniform thickness throughout and terminating at its inner or loweredge at a point above the he joint into two separate pieces, thereby effecting a great saving of material, and also avoiding the labor and expense-of punching bolt holes and enabling the use of scribedl j p 6. In a rail joint, a splice 'bar having a bearing at its lower portion against the upper side of the base flange of the rail, insulating material interposed between these bearing surfaces and'having its outer edge free, whereby inward movement of the splice bar to its seat against the rail will not cause a lateral com the inner e ge of said piece terminating belowthe bolt holes of the joint; substantially as described. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set various bolt-hole spaces,- also in the use of a practically water-proof material for the insulation, whereby a moreperfect and durable insulation is secured and the other advan- It will be understood that this latter feature of my invention is not restricted to insulations of the particular form as sliiwn in the drawings, but that it may be used in any desired form or shape, as I believe it is broadly new to employ an insulating material of this character in rail joints. It willalso be understood that my inventionis applicable 1 to joints having various other forms of splice my hand.

ars. Y ANDREW MORRISON. What I claim is Witnesses:

In an insulated rail joint, a splice bar having a rail bearing at bo'th'head and'base,

LAURENCE H. LEE, H. M. UORWIN.

curing engagement with the splice bars subsulating material at the heads'and bases of tions between base of rail and base of bars,

3. In an insulated rail joint, a splice bar- 90, nsulating material at the heads and bases. being separate and independent of each independent of each' I curing engagement With the splice bars and a piece of insubolt holes of the joint substantially'as deression or crushing of said piece, I 

